hamegi 嵌め木

A plug used in *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 woodblock printmaking for making corrections or changes in the woodblock *hangi 版木. For example, a wooden pin which had been whittled down could be inlayed into an area to correct a small mistake, and the woodblock then recarved according to need. Additionally, these plugs were used to change the names and faces on late actor prints *yakusha-e 役者絵 or sumo prints *sumō-e 相撲絵. The rest of the key block, which included the remainder of the figure below the neck, could be used a number of times for different prints. A plugged key block of this type can be identified on a finished print by the presence of two thin-line breaks in the outline of a figure's neck at the collar.